1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc loading apparatus for disc player. More specifically, the present invention relates to a front loading type disc loading apparatus in which a tray to mount a disc such as an optical video disc, a digital audio disc or a compact disc is horizontally moved into the disc player, and then, the disc is loaded onto a turntable in a vertical direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A disc player is for recording and reproducing data on a disc such as an optical video disc, a digital audio disc or a compact disc, on which a magnetic or optical recording can be carried out. There are many kinds of apparatus for loading and unloading a disc to and from the disc player. Of them, the most frequently used one is the front loading type disc loading apparatus in which a tray for mounting a disc is horizontally moved into the disc player, and then, the disc is loaded onto a turntable in a vertical direction.
One of these conventional front loading type disc loading apparatuses is provided with a cylindrical roller inserted into a guide groove of a side of the tray, so that the tray for mounting a disc would move horizontally and stably along the groove. This disc loading apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,216 and 5,084,854. Meanwhile, another type is provided with a rack and revolving rollers, so that the rack and tray would be horizontally moved in a stable manner. This disc loading apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,583 and 4,825,429.
Such conventional disc loading apparatus will be described in further detail referring to FIG. 1.
A disc-mounting tray 10 is provided with a guide rib 14 on a side thereof in the lengthwise direction, i.e., in the tray carrying direction. A base plate 12 which is located below the tray 10 is provided with a guide groove 15 on a side wall thereof in the lengthwise direction, i.e., in the tray carrying direction corresponding with guide rib 14. Thus guide rib 14 is movably inserted into guide groove 15. Meanwhile, the other side of the tray, on which guide rib 14 is not formed, is provided with a rack gear 11. Rack gear 11 is coupled with a driving means 13 which is installed at a corresponding position upon base plate 12. Driving means 13 consists of a loading motor 16, a transmitting gear 17 and a carrying gear 18, carrying gear 18 being coupled with loading motor 16 and transmitting gear 17. Carrying gear 18 and rack gear 11 of tray 10 are meshed together, and therefore, when loading motor 16 revolves, tray 10 moves straightly forward and backward in accordance with the revolution direction of loading motor 16. Such straight motions of tray 10 are stably maintained by guide groove 15 (formed on a side of base plate 12) and by guide rib 14 of tray 10.
However, in this conventional disc loading apparatus, there is a tolerance in the meshing between guide rib 14 of tray 10 and the guide groove of base plate 12. Therefore, the forward and backward movements of tray 10 are not precise. Further, rack gear 11 of tray 10 and carrying gear 18 of driving means 13 are all made of a synthetic resin, and therefore, when they actuate being meshed together, they generate noise.